Agri teams to investigate adultery in fertilizers

Agra: Following complaints of adulteration in fertilizers, district
magistrate NG Ravi Kumar has constituted a team of agriculture
department officials to investigate the matter. The team, led by
district agriculture officials, has started conducting raids on
shops selling fertilizers.
According to agriculture department officials, in Agra district
around 2.83 hectare land is used for agricultural activities. Going
by the data available, the annual consumption of fertilizers in the
district includes 8,100 tonne of urea, 5,800 tonne of diammonium
phosphate (DAP) and 2,700 tonne of potash. The district has 665
registered shops selling seeds and fertilizers.

Recently, several cases of adulterated fertilizers being sold to
farmers has surfaced in the district. The agriculture department
has earlier conducted a raid on a warehouse in Tehra locality and
seized adulterated fertilizers from there. During investigation,
the officials found that the adulterated fertilizer was supplied
from Mathura district. The warehouse was sealed and a police
complaint was lodged by the department. On Thursday, officials
conducted raids on seven fertilizer shops. The owners downed the
shutters and fled to evade capture. The department has cancelled
the licences of these centres.

District agriculture officer Rampravesh Verma said, “Our teams are
regularly conducted raids on fertilizer shops. We are asking
farmers to contact the department in case of any suspicion of
adulteration in fertilizers.”

Farmers can easily diagnose adulteration in fertilizers. The most
commonly used fertilizer — DAP — is hard, granular, brown or black
in color and does not easy to break. If some granules of DAP is
rubbed with lime, it emits a sharp unpleasant odour. If it is
heated slowly on a hot plate, it swells. If these do not happen,
the DAP is adulterated.

Likewise, potash, a white salt-like reddish mixture, should turn
into sticky lumps if moistened. If dissolved in water and a reddish
color floats on the surface, then it is adulterated.